Public · COLLEGE PAYOFF

Montana State University Billings

Billings, MT · 17 reportable field-and-credential outcomes

MODELED SCENARIO · Negative payoff

−$175,816 over 10 years

Modeled from observed year-5 institution earnings and the institution-wide average net price over four years.

At these assumptions, the estimated earnings premium does not recover the modeled economic investment within ten years.

35.0 yrsModeled economic break-even
−71%Modeled 10-year ROI
$52,028Observed earnings · year 5
Economic ROI includes direct price and earnings forgone during study · $45,000 comparison earnings · values held flat · see the formula
ECONOMIC INVESTMENT → PAYBACK

Estimated payoff over ten years.

The scenario counts direct price and earnings forgone upfront, then applies the reported annual earnings premium.

10-YEAR PAYOFF CURVECumulative economic payoff after graduation
−$175,816at year 10
Net gainInvestment not yet recovered
NET GAIN$0UNRECOVERED
−$246,0960
2
4
6
8
−$175,81610
Years after graduationBreak-even: 35.0 years
FEDERAL COST DATA

Four ways to read college price.

Annual college-wide figures from the current College Scorecard release. Average net price covers full-time, first-time undergraduates receiving federal aid; public-college figures use in-state students. Program tuition and individual aid offers may differ.

Published in-state tuition$7,280
Sticker price
Published out-of-state tuition$22,897
Sticker price
Average net price$16,524
Title IV student average
Cost of attendance$20,054
Tuition + living budget
PRICE SOURCECollege reported · annual amount · federal dataset
OBSERVED FEDERAL MEASURES

Cost, debt, completion and earnings context

$16,524Average net price / year
$20,054Cost of attendance
$18,209Median federal student debt · completer borrowers
$193/moPublished 10-year payment estimate
$52,028Median earnings · year 5 after completion
30.0%Completion rate
Not availableAdmission rate
2,626Student size

Institution debt covers federal student-loan borrowers who completed. Parent PLUS and private loans are excluded; missing and privacy-suppressed values remain unavailable.

PRICE BY FAMILY INCOME

Average net price is not one price

Federal averages for aided students in each family-income band. Your aid offer can differ.

$0–30k$13,927
$30–48k$14,387
$48–75k$16,749
$75–110k$18,948
$110k+$20,035
LONGER-TERM CONTEXT

What happens beyond the first earnings measure

Year 5$52,028
Year 6$39,531
Year 10$44,296
Full-time retention
55.6%
Part-time retention
45.2%
Completion within 200% of normal time
28.1%

Earnings timepoints may use different historical cohorts and should not be read as one group’s guaranteed salary growth.

NATIONAL CONTEXT

How this college compares

Percentiles compare this institution with currently operating colleges that report the same federal measure.

66thEarnings percentile
11thCompletion percentile
WHAT STANDS OUT

A faster read on this college

These summaries use only reportable field-and-credential records at this institution. They do not fill privacy-suppressed outcomes.

$56,351Median year-4 earnings across reportable program categories
$24,652Median federal debt across categories that report debt
25%Of earnings-reporting categories above their same-field national benchmark
EARNINGS PATH

Reported earnings over time

$43,777Year 1
$55,549Year 4
$52,028Year 5

Separate federal cohorts may underlie different measurement years.

PROGRAM PAYOFF SPREAD

The college average is not the whole story.

Observed earnings vary substantially by field and credential at the same institution.

1Health and Medical Administrative Services · Master's Degree$90,0082Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · Associate's Degree$73,4653Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities · Bachelor's Degree$67,3044Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other · Bachelor's Degree$65,8755Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions · Associate's Degree$60,0316Business/Commerce, General · Bachelor's Degree$58,8277Student Counseling and Personnel Services · Master's Degree$56,3518Precision Metal Working · Associate's Degree$51,467

Observed year-4 earnings · compare like fields and credentials before deciding

BUILD A REAL SHORTLIST

Comparable colleges in MT

Currently operating public institutions with the closest combination of annual net price and observed year-5 earnings. Similarity is descriptive—not a quality ranking.

Helena, MT

Helena College University of Montana

Annual net price
$11,593
Observed earnings · year 5
$51,936
Modeled 10-year ROI
-69%
Open college profile →
Missoula, MT

The University of Montana

Annual net price
$16,784
Observed earnings · year 5
$46,098
Modeled 10-year ROI
-96%
Open college profile →
Miles City, MT

Miles Community College

Annual net price
$10,405
Observed earnings · year 5
$50,924
Modeled 10-year ROI
-73%
Open college profile →
Dillon, MT

The University of Montana-Western

Annual net price
$16,558
Observed earnings · year 5
$42,191
Modeled 10-year ROI
-111%
Open college profile →
ALL REPORTABLE PROGRAM CATEGORIES

Explore exact field-and-credential outcomes

Federal fieldCredentialEarnings, year 4Federal debt
Health and Medical Administrative ServicesMaster's Degree$90,008Not available
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingAssociate's Degree$73,465$26,750
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesBachelor's Degree$67,304$39,800
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, OtherBachelor's Degree$65,875$34,680
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsAssociate's Degree$60,031$19,000
Business/Commerce, GeneralBachelor's Degree$58,827$22,625
Student Counseling and Personnel ServicesMaster's Degree$56,351Not available
Precision Metal WorkingAssociate's Degree$51,467Not available
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic ProfessionsMaster's Degree$51,109Not available
Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/TechniciansAssociate's Degree$49,857Not available
Curriculum and InstructionMaster's Degree$48,299Not available
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsBachelor's Degree$37,846$24,652
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied CommunicationBachelor's DegreeNot available$17,653
Health and Medical Administrative ServicesUndergraduate Certificate or DiplomaNot available$21,250
Health and Medical Administrative ServicesBachelor's DegreeNot available$26,500
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingBachelor's DegreeNot available$32,988
Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing AssistantsUndergraduate Certificate or DiplomaNot available$14,222

Earnings, price, completion and enrollment are observed federal measures. ROI, payoff and break-even are modeled scenarios built from those measures and fixed assumptions. College payoff is not the payoff of every degree at this school; use the program table for a more precise comparison.